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CLIMATE change sceptics have seized on news that Mars is heating up to back their claim that humans are not causing Earthly global warming.
The research comes from US planetary scientists, who suggest the Red Planet warmed by about 0.65C from the 1970s to the 1990s, similar to Earth's 0.6C average temperature rise during the 20th century.

"It could be coincidental or it might be the needle in the haystack," said climatologist William Kininmonth, former head of the National Climate Centre in Melbourne.

"It's an interesting observation, as it's the same time period as Earth's temperature has been warming."

Mr Kininmonth said the research, published in the journal Nature, showed there was enough natural climate variability to account for global warming on Earth.

Not so, claimed Neville Nicholls, a climate scientist at Monash University in Melbourne.

"The paper is interesting but it hasn't got anything to do with the question of human impact on global warming on Earth," Dr Nicholls said.

"It's not an excuse to argue that humans are not causing global warming on Earth."

The research was done by a team led by Lori Fenton of the NASA Ames Research Centre at Moffett Field, California.

They used a computer model based on those devised to study global warming on Earth, adding Martian features such as a cold, airless surface and a shifting south polar ice cap while subtracting Earth's oceans and atmosphere.

Dr Fenton's group found that annual variation in the solar radiation reflected from the surface of Mars -- its "albedo" -- contributed to the warming by causing more blowing dust.

Over the past 30 years, the dust swept clean large swaths of the planet's surface, reducing reflected radiation.

The result was a "positive feedback loop" between dust, wind, albedo and temperature.

"It's a nice piece of work," said UNSW climate scientist Andy Pitman. "But there are no implications for Earth."

Professor Pitman was lead author of the climate modelling section of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released in February.

Professor Pitman disputed Associate Professor Franks's claim that changes in Earth's albedo had a bigger influence on climate than greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

"Albedo is included in climate models," Professor Pitman said. "It can have a local effect but cannot explain the observed warming record."

The Nature paper comes on the eve of the second report from the fourth IPCC review, set to be released tomorrow night.

Astronomers calculate that the orbit of Mars is not entirely stable and over very long periods can change. (This does not mean it is going to run amuck) This may be happening now, or perhaps the Sun's output has increased slightly. The Martian orbit is much less circular than the Earth's and Mars' distance from the Sun decreases and increases on a regular basis. This means that the seasons in the two hemispheres of Mars are of different length. This is also true of Earth but the effect is much smaller due to the more nearly circular orbit.

If Mars' orbit is at present getting closer to circular, this might mean a global warming on Mars. The average distance from the Sun probably stays the same. By Keplers Laws any body orbiting another slows when it is furthest away (aphelion) and speeds up when closer, it could be that the planet is not getting quite so far away as it once did and is travelling faster when it is at its greatest distance. So it has less time to cool.

By the same reason, the distance at closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) may be slightly greater but the planet spends slightly longer there. It is probably a question of balance. The large CO2 content of the Martian atmosphere would mean that it is an effective retainer of heat. If a more circular orbit meant warming, more CO2 would enter the Martian atmosphere from the solid CO2 at the poles. This extra CO2 would mean even more warming and over a long period Mars might warm to the extent that liquid water might appear for some of the Martian year in either hemisphere.

The question is whether Mars' orbit is changing to more circular at present, or going the other way.

it really is a touch too early yet to assert for certain what's causing the warming on Mars or if certainly, it truly is warming. we've little or no documents from Mars - no longer sufficient to entice certain conclusions. in cutting-edge years some elements have experienced melting, truly around the southern ice cap yet conversely some parts were freezing (the northern ice cap). that's unlike in the global the position all elements were warming. Mars, like Earth, has seasons and on a each and each year foundation we may be able to note freezing and thawing. the concept recommend by technique of NASA and different scientists is that warming on Mars may be the outcome of global dust storms. all of us understand those ensue and are violent winds engulfing the full planet and whipping up huge quantities of dust. this may influence temperatures, if Earth experienced similar storms lets also see temperature variations the following. What we do understand is that it really is not any longer the outcome of variations contained in the quantity of warm temperature from the sunlight (image voltaic version). that's some thing that we may be able to and do degree with severe accuracy and because that the 1970's there has been a moderate decline in image voltaic warmth output. added, if Martian warming were the outcome of an advance in power from the sunlight then all planets and moons contained in the picture voltaic device should be warming. this isn't what we are seeing and in reality, of the 172 planets and moons in elementary words 5 coach indicators of warming. inspite of the motives are they're unique to each and each planet and moon. i ought to like to be in a position to provide you an answer yet at this consider time there is not any longer one. possibly ask the question in yet another 10 years time after all of us understand extra about Mars.

Well, the sun has been over active for the last 60-70 years. They say that the planets, Pluto, Jupitor and Mars are all warming too. What common thing do they all share. The sun. I could be possible that Earth's global warming is also happening because of this, besides having SUV's.
Here is an interesting look at it: http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=1...

Well, you must be knowing that there is a huge concentration of Carbondioxide in the planet. This gas is in the form of ice( just like dry ice) at the polar ends of the planet. Also there is gaseous carbondioxide in its atmosphere. As the planet gets close to the sun more gas is forming out of the ice.
Carbondioxide leads to global warming or greenhouse effect.
Thus as more and more heat increases more and more gas is forming out of the dry ice. Thus the temperature is shooting up.